Why ARISE Exists

India stands at a crucial juncture in its pursuit of reproductive justice, where the right to safe, legal abortion remains contested. Despite progress, millions of pregnant persons face legal, social, and infrastructural barriers, rooted in colonial-era laws and societal stigma. While challenges persist, ARISE manifests a resilient movement, driven by the need to counter opposition, dispel misconceptions, and improve access to uphold reproductive rights with dignity.

It is critical today to work in tandem with mission aligned organizations and individuals, to consolidate evidence, and communicate with diverse stakeholders representing policy makers, duty bearers, service providers, civil society and media, for building solidarity, support and momentum across different rights-based social movements for advancing abortion rights and justice.

ARISE exists to provide just such a vital, inclusive, unique and unified platform for diverse stakeholders who, individually or through the singular organizations they represent, may struggle to muster the critical mass or the necessary collective influence to safeguard universal, rights-based access to safe abortion services, keeping the pregnant person at the centre of the discourse.

A nuanced understanding of the abortion landscape in India is critical to appreciate the need for and relevance of this unique alliance.

Opposition to abortion on religious, moral and ethical grounds and the growing anti-choice movement, which seems to target children and adolescents in their formative years is an increasing area of concern, further threatening to undermine safe and legal access to abortion services.

Addressing opposition and barriers to safe abortion services in India requires a deep understanding of the existing legal framework, the social context, and the reproductive rights and justice discourse in India. This work is nuanced, and vulnerable to backlash from the system (comprising of law enforcers, policy makers and the judiciary) and society, unless carried out with the required sensitivity.

Reaffirming our belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, ARISE provides a safe, inclusive and empowering space for stakeholders to draw upon the diverse expertise within the alliance and work strategically together, instead of individually, or in silos, to collectively influence the system and the society, in the interest of the vulnerable pregnant person seeking safe abortion services.

A Journey of Partnership, Persistence, and Purpose.

A group of advocates of SRHR, deeply engaged in research, service delivery, advocacy and legal pursuits came together to deliberate on the evolving abortion landscape in India in 2022.

The objective was to build a common understanding of the need and urgency to unpack the prevalent laws criminalizing abortion, and discuss strategies to facilitate universal, rights-based access to safe abortion services.

Multiple, engaged discussions with diverse stakeholders crystallized the idea of forming a coalition to champion abortion as a reproductive right.

The alliance was formalized in 2023, with FPA India as the Secretariat and a core group of seven individuals and organizational representatives forming the Interim Steering Committee.

Executive Overview of Institutional Evolution

The development of the ARISE coalition represents a deliberate and documented progression from an informal, reactive collective to a professionalized national governance structure. As a Senior Institutional Historian, I categorize this evolution into three critical phases defined by their meeting trajectories and governance milestones.